Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is discussing Myanmar’s future with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, a city Suu Kyi describes as a symbol of success in achieving unity.
Merkel said she planned to discuss how Germany can help “open the way to a better future for people in Myanmar” at Thursday’s meeting with Suu Kyi, the first face-to-face encounter between the two. Suu Kyi also met Germany’s largely ceremonial President Joachim Gauck, who recently traveled to Myanmar, at the start of a several-day visit.

Nobel Peace prize laureate Suu Kyi spent years under house arrest under Myanmar’s previous military regime. She said once-divided Berlin symbolizes how people and different ideologies can be unified and expressed hope that Myanmar can be turned into “a truly democratic union.”